


“Not so bad, huh?”

by fictitiousOshine



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Anxious Jughead, Betty knows what she's talking about, But it's not a Valentine's Day fic, Confident Betty, Drunk Betty, F/M, I couldn't think of the title... 🙈, Jellybean is a sweetheart, Jughead who doesn't wanna go to jail, Nervous Jughead, Shy Jughead, Something that happens on Valentine's Day, Sweet Jughead, There's a kiss..., it's a oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 00:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17929703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictitiousOshine/pseuds/fictitiousOshine
Summary: “Drive, I’ll give you directions!” Her voice slurred.“It’s Valentine’s day…” The words just tumbled from his mouth.She squared her shoulders. “Are you going to drive or—”“—What do you want?” he cut in, a part of him wondering why she was being defensive. It was him who was scared, she had won the upper hand after almost giving him a heart attack.//Jughead Jones meets a beautiful blonde on Valentine’s Day.Or, Betty Cooper gets into Jughead’s car, thinking it’s a cab.Either way, it’s just the beginning…





	“Not so bad, huh?”

**Author's Note:**

> Heyaa, Sweet Reader,
> 
> So… a few days ago, something inspired me to write this and I couldn’t help but type type type, edit edit edit + edit, and this is what I ended up with… 🙈
> 
> I know, I know, Valentine’s Day is over. But in my defense, this was inspired after! 
> 
> Yay, my second fic post ✊
> 
> Hope you’ll stay and read till the end… 🙈
> 
> ♡ Oshine

 

  

  

Startled awake by the sound of his phone ringing, Jughead groaned and patted over his comforter a couple of times and finally managed to answer the call.

 

“Hell—”

 

“—Juggieee, Happy Valentine's Day!”

 

He sank against the headboard, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

 

Valentine's day! The 14th of February! It was _one_ of those days he wished would disappear from the calendar. It wasn’t a day to be wished! He had nothing to do with it!

 

“Jesus, Jell.”

 

“Oh, Goodie—you’re up! See ya in an hour!”

 

“You serious?” he asked in surprise.

 

She honked her car’s horn, suggesting affirmation. “Of course I am. I can’t let my weirdo loner brother spend Valentine’s Day alone, and it’s a good excuse to get some brother-sister time together because we _l_ _o_ _o_ _oo_ _v_ _vv_ _e_ _e_ each other.”

 

“Jellybean,” he said laughingly, and she let out a giggle.

 

“Bye!”

 

Jughead hung up the phone and got out of bed.

 

Stupid days like these, he was grateful for having a little sister who loved him despite his reserved nature, making him feel maybe he wasn’t such a loner weirdo everyone made him out to be. She was the only person who gave him a sense of normalcy, and at times, it was the only thing he needed…

 

The truth was, Jughead never fit in—no matter how hard he tried. He had grown up shy and always kept to himself. He had a few friends here and there, but _that was that_ because he rarely hung out with them. He didn’t like _people_ because people didn’t like him, and since the circle always completed, it was somehow also the vice versa. But then, that wasn’t the _only_ reason people looked down upon him…

 

After finishing a quick shower and brushing his teeth, Jughead quickly pulled on some jeans and an ‘S’ T-shirt. And with his beanie in hand, he walked into the kitchen to set the coffee pot to brew for two.

 

He then hurriedly tidied up his little trailer, for the very reason that he didn’t want his sister to act like a carper for the day, and just as he was about to head back into the kitchen, there was a constant knocking on the trailer door and he answered it.

 

“Hey there, Charlie Brown!” Jellybean gave him a brief hug. “Guess what! We’ve finally got the invitations to Cheryl’s party, thanks to Toni!” she said before doing her little happy dance, waving her arms like they were some windshield wipers in action.

 

Jughead gave her a look. “Is that why you’re here?”

 

“No, but come on! Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy,” Jellybean pouted. “It would be fun, I promise.”

 

Jughead let out a sigh and walked over into the kitchen. “Parties aren’t my scene and you know it, JB, a-and besides, I have an evening shift today.” It was a lie. But he had to make some excuse. All because his naive self supposed it was a clever way to stay away from parties and hangouts and not look like a total loser in front of his sister—and it was a different thing she knew he _was_ one, indeed.

 

“You’re doing this on purpose!” Jellybean rolled her eyes just when he turned to face her.

 

“And there’s nothing you can do to change it now, can you?” he shrugged. “It’s a bad day, I guess.”

 

“I know you’re lying,” she glared and he wondered if she could see through him.

 

“Sorry,” he grimaced, leaning back against the counter.

 

“Think about it, Juggie. It’s a Valentine’s Day party and you’ve _never_ been to one…” He kept his expression deadpan. It wasn’t hard—thanks to his rough childhood that had grown to detach him from life. “ _Come_ on, Jughead! You’re 23 and you act like your life is over. We should definitely go, who-who knows you might meet someone your type and live happily ever after?”

 

Like that was even possible… he rolled his eyes. “Thanks for trying, JB. But no.”

 

“Hopeless!” she scoffed.

.

.

 

…

 

 

The rest of the day went by awfully—with Jellybean constantly asking him _one_ question that was beginning to make him want to jump off the cliff.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the party?” Jellybean asked, **again,** for the millionth time that day. He looked up from his laptop and she shrugged, “I was just asking in case you changed your mind without letting me know.”

 

“No,” he raised an eyebrow.

 

She shook her head dismissively, “forget that. How do I look?” she grinned, wobbling up and down on her toes and heels, clutching onto the flaps of the leather jacket she wore (over a glitter top paired with black leggings).

 

“Good as always,” he shrugged and focused his attention back on the screen.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the party?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What about the buffet?”

 

“Parcel everything for me if you don’t mind.”

 

Jellybean let out a sigh, “I’m sure you’ll find a quiet place to work on your novel.”

 

“No.”

 

 

…

 

 

Jughead dropped Jellybean off at Cheryl’s party at nearly 10:30 pm, because his sister thought it was easier to mix with the crowd if she showed up late. Was it true? He wouldn’t know.

 

But he knew as a matter of fact that it was a cover for she hadn’t wanted him to have the dinner alone. And so to return her gesture, he had offered to drive her over here.

 

When he was sure the security guard had let her inside the house, he decided to leave. The vibes of the place were already triggering his anxiety, and he was glad Jellybean had been understanding—though only at the last minute, probably because he’d looked too anxious—and hadn’t tried to force him once they had parked.

 

He didn’t need to worry about her, he knew she would be fine. The history had it. Besides, he had given her a ton of instructions during their previous conversation that had ended up with, _“_ _Are you sure you don’t_ _want to_ _come to the party?”_

 

Jughead climbed back into his car and took in a deep breath just as someone slumped into his backseat. It made him jump out of his skin as his heart began to hammer in his chest and he forced himself to swallow, and tried to catch whoever-it-was’s reflection in the rear-view mirror, wishing they hadn’t got any weapons.

 

And then, much to his astonishment, he met a woman’s gaze. She was beautiful and it was Valentine’s Day, and that was all he knew. 

 

“Drive, I’ll give you directions!” Her voice slurred.

 

“It’s Valentine’s day…” The words just tumbled from his mouth.

 

She squared her shoulders. “Are you going to drive or—”

 

“—What do you want?” he cut in, a part of him wondering why she was being defensive. It was him who was scared, she had won the upper hand after almost giving him a heart attack.

 

“To go home. Just drive,” she said with a pretentious roll of her eyes.

 

“You sure?” he asked in disbelief. “I can book you a—”

 

“—Drive,” she said, firmly this time. “And call me ‘ma’am.’”

 

He took in a sharp breath, wanting to get a hold of himself. It was still a bit creepy, but at least she didn’t seem like a thief or a kidnapper. “Right. Fine,” he sighed and started his car.

 

The woman’s instructions were confusing as hell, and he was forced to muster up some courage and ask her the name of the Apartments and locate the building on the Maps. The ride after that was only growing slow and quiet, and not just because he was driving at the speed of 27 miles per hour…

 

“You like music?” he asked. “Ma’am?”

 

“Did we reach?” The blonde jerked awake.

 

“No, I’m sorry.”

 

She gave a slight nod and stared out the open window. “What’s your name?”

 

He didn’t reply, thinking she probably wasn’t talking to him.

 

“I’m talking to you, Beanie Boy!” Her voice slurred for the second time that evening.

 

“Jughead,” he said in a low voice. He expected a burst of laughter or a snarky comment, but it didn’t come.

 

“I’m Betty,” she said.

 

But that didn’t mean he could call her ‘Betty.’

 

…

 

A few minutes later, they reached the location and Jughead got out of the car and opened the door for her. She smiled a ‘thank you’ as she got out, and he just gave her a nod in response before she began heading into the building…

 

One final glance in her direction and he realized she was stumbling over her feet, her hands searching for support.

 

“Shit!” He ran towards her. “Are you okay?” She leaned against him before he could say more.

 

“Will you please help me till the 4th Floor?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sadly, the elevator was out of service and Jughead’s anxiety was reaching its peak. “It’s normal,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s completely normal.”

 

Betty was swaying the entire time while he was doing his best to hold her still, trying his best to not become aware of how good her soft skin felt under his touch…

 

He made sure he focused his attention on her stumbling feet that ever so often, would almost miss the steps.

 

God, his senses were heightened.

 

He sighed in relief when they finally made it to Betty’s apartment.

 

“Key,” Betty gasped all of a sudden, panic evident in her voice. “I don’t have the key.”

 

“They could be in my car, I’ll go get—”

 

“—No, no. They’re in my handbag and I forgot it at the party,” she said hurriedly.

 

“So you think we can go back there?”

 

“No!”

 

“If you want, you can borrow my phone and call someone,” he suggested slowly.

 

“No, I don’t remember the numbers.” She briefly squeezed her eyes shut.

 

“Oh.” Seemed like nothing was in favor. “I can wait… till your roommate comes.”

 

“I… I live alone,” she said hesitantly, as if this wasn’t something he was supposed to know. And he _wasn’t_ supposed to know.

 

“Do you have any other place you can stay at?” he asked, hoping for an affirmative answer at the least.

 

“No,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

 

“Neighbors?” He glanced around at the other closed doors.

 

“I’m new in the town, I don’t know any of them,” she said. Jughead took his beanie off and ran his hands through his hair, stepping back a step in exasperation. He couldn’t leave her alone. He wasn’t sure why, but he was suddenly feeling protective of this blonde.

 

A few minutes passed in silence and he watched as Betty sat on the floor with her legs stretched out in front of her, leaning against the wall that faced the door of her apartment. She looked tired and he wished he could just take her to his place so she could at least have a place to fall asleep.

 

“You can leave.”

 

“No.”

 

He sat down beside her, mirroring her position. “Really. It’s fine, Jughead.” He put his beanie back on his head and looked at her.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

She smiled at him, wearily. “Like I want to kiss you right now.” He froze. In surprise/shock? He wasn’t sure. But he quickly shook that wicked thought away. “Where do you live?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” he asked bluntly.

 

“I don’t know,” she said in a whisper and looked away, and his heart fell. He hadn’t meant to upset her.

 

“Come with me.” He stood up and offered her a hand.

 

“To where?”

 

“My place.”

 

“You should go, it’s fine.”

 

“I’m only helping,” he shrugged. “It’s just a few minutes away. You can stay the night and figure this out tomorrow.” Her expression wasn’t readable. “You can trust me…” he said, though he could tell that this wasn’t easy for her; trusting a goddamn stranger in a new town, that was.

 

“Why are you doing this?”

 

“I really don’t know,” he said truthfully.

 

She seemed to study him for what felt like forever, and he had to force himself to swallow the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to say _nothing,_ just as Betty grabbed his hand and stood up, almost stumbling.

 

“You can trust me,” he said again.

 

“I know, Beanie Boy.”

 

He led her out of the building and back to his car, and opened the passenger side door for her.

 

“Can we go to Pop’s first?” Her question was unexpected.

 

“Are you hungry?” he blurted.

 

“Yes. Is there any problem?” she asked softly.

 

Yes. “No, it’s no problem.”

.

. 

 

…

  

Jughead quickly checked through his wallet before getting down from the car. Betty didn’t have her belongings, which meant he would be the one paying on behalf of her. For some weird reason, he didn’t mind… he was already acting out of character and it was futile trying to understand himself at this moment. He had a beautiful blonde with him while it was still the Valentine’s Day—and that was all he knew.

 

He opened the car door for her, and led her into the diner and to one of the furthest booths of the restaurant, not wanting anyone to notice.

 

“You’re sweet,” she said softly.

 

He ignored her compliment and asked her what she wanted to eat, and when he got the answer, he simply went to place the order—order for one person because he wasn’t prepared for any of this and apparently had a shortage of bills.

 

The cashier gave him a look when he asked for the salad platter and he just had to shrug.

 

He hoped nobody was spying on them, because rumors spread like madness in this town, and he didn’t want Betty to have to hear her name linked with the weirdo of the town. She was drunk at the moment and there was no guarantee she would remember this in the morning.

 

He waited till the order was ready, occasionally glancing at the blonde to make sure she was there. “Betty,” he muttered to himself, testing her name on his tongue… just as the waitress placed the tray in front of him. He grabbed it and made his way back to the booth.

 

“There you go, ma’am,” he placed the food in front of her.

 

“Where’s yours?”

 

“Not hungry.” He sat across from her, his eyes taking in her appearance for the first time since he’d met her. She was angelic, her wavy blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and covering her ears; her smoky eye makeup that matched the plum sleeveless glitter dress she wore…

 

She was the sight for sore eyes and he couldn’t look away…

.

.

 

…

 

“It’s a trailer,” Betty shifted to gawk at him when he parked outside his… small trailer.

 

He shrugged. “It’s all I could afford…” He hoped he didn’t sound poor. He wasn’t too poor. Especially now that his dad was _away_ for two more years, he had no one to _waste_ his money on.

 

“I like it.” A grin crossed his features when she smiled at him.

 

Jughead led her to his trailer, all the while keeping his hand on her upper back to ground her. To his relief, she seemed less giddy after the (unappetizing-and-not-worth-spending-a-penny-on) salad meal at Pop’s.

 

“Welcome,” he began, twirling the key into the keyhole, “to the Hermit’s house!” Betty let out a laugh and walked in after he pushed the door open. He did the same after her—just as she turned around and bumped into him.

 

He quickly reached a hand to switch on all the lights of the trailer as she stumbled and grabbed his T-shirt to help herself.

 

“Sorry, ma’am,” he muttered nervously.

 

“What for?” Betty laughed. “Oh, don’t look so apologetic, Beanie Boy. Don’t tell me you never bring women here.”

 

“I really don’t,” he said as her smile faded. “I’m not the kind for hookups.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said apologetically.

 

“I know… I’m just feeling anxious, I guess…” He gave her a small smile and led her to the bedroom. “It’s yours for the night. If you… you need anything, call me.” He was about to leave when he felt a hand grabbing his wrist.

 

“Stay with me?” Betty wondered when he turned to face her.

 

He opened his mouth to say a _no,_ but couldn’t. Her face was so close to his and he bet he forgot how to breathe.

 

“I want to kiss you.” His eyes widened at that and before he could blink, Betty’s lips were on his and he instinctively cupped her face, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones.

 

It took him a while to realize that he, _too,_ was kissing her back. The hell—he was kissing her back! And there was no stopping him! His hand cradled her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw as her cold hands moved restlessly in his hair, against his neck and he could tell she wanted this just as much as he did.

 

They pulled away momentarily and he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him before claiming her lips again in a fierce kiss. Soft moans filled the air, fogging his rational thoughts and he reached a hand to pull down the zipper of her dress,and kissed her even deeper as his erection twitched in his pants. She didn’t protest and he slowly began guiding her towards the bed. Betty’s hands tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, and he pulled away for a moment and stared into her green eyes…

 

“What’s wrong?” Betty breathed, her eyes searching his face for answers.

 

His stare only grew vacant and he froze as the reality hit him hard.

 

“I didn’t… we shouldn’t have…” he gasped in a panicky voice.

 

“What are you talking about?” She lifted a hand to touch his face and he immediately stepped back, trying to focus on anything and everything but her. “Jughead?”

 

He could see the tears in her eyes, but his mind was too occupied to understand anything. He knew she would regret this in the morning, and he had never been this much guilty before. “I messed up… wasn’t my intention I swear… I didn’t mean…”

 

“Jughead, it’s fine… I know you’re just nervous, maybe we can…” her voice trailed off when he stepped back a little more.

 

“No, I can’t ruin anything anymore… I’m not like my dad, I-I can’t go to jail…” He squeezed his eyes shut as the reality dulled his thinking.

 

“Why would you go to jail?”

 

“Because you’re drunk and you’ll forget everything in the morning and accuse me of r-raping you,” he said, his voice shaky. “It will be over for me… I’ll never finish my book and my sister will end up hating me and I’ll have no one who cares… but at least mom would be happy…” The last few words came out as an empty chuckle as he felt Betty’s hand on his face, and for a moment he wished he deserved this kindness from a stranger…

 

“You’re getting it all wrong. I’m not regretting anything—”

 

“—No… you’re not understanding me, hell even I don’t… I’m not even sure why I brought you here. It’s fate’s cruel prank, ma’am, us meeting on Valentine’s Day… it-it suggests nothing…”

 

Betty sucked in a breath. “You’re right. I was being stupid… but I don’t regret it. Or the possibility of us…”

 

“You should get some rest,” Jughead gulped.

 

“Right,” she sighed and he blinked open his eyes.

 

“I’m sorry,” he pleaded. She seemed offended, but he couldn’t just bring it all up again.

 

“Mind if I use your bathroom?” she asked flatly.

 

He shook his head and showed her where the bathroom was, and left a bottle of water and a glass for her on the nightstand. And then he found his comfort on the couch, and he chose to just lay there.

 

He was definitely acting out of character…

.

.

.

 

Sometime later, his phone rang and he frantically stood up from the couch. How the hell could he forget his own sister like that?

 

“JB, I’m so sorry… I’ll be there in 20!”

 

“No, actually, I wanted to tell you I’ve got a ride, don’t worry.”

 

“What? Who’s he?” he asked bluntly.

 

“It’s a she,” his sister laughed. “It’s Toni.”

 

“Oh,” he sighed.

 

“Bye,” Jellybean squeaked in a funny high-pitched voice and hung up the call before he could say a word, and he let out a chuckle of relief that died immediately as he noticed the time on the phone.

 

“Holy shit!” he almost yelled. 1:52 am?

 

He went to check on Betty. “Ma’am?” he called softly, peeking into the bedroom.

 

Betty seemed to be soundly sleeping in his bed, her body covered with his comforter up to her chin, so he just turned around and made his way back to the couch.

 

As known, almost 20 minutes later, there was a knock on his door and he answered it.

 

“You missed the delicious food,” JB commented, wiggling her eyebrows.

 

“Do you mind coming _in_ first?” Jughead mocked and Jellybean rolled her eyes before doing just that, and then, _then_ Jughead froze as she began heading towards the bedroom. “JB wait…” he momentarily squeezed his eyes shut before peeking through one.

 

Too late.

 

Jellybean turned around at a snail’s pace.

 

“You’ve got a girl in there?” she exclaimed vaguely, her eyes wide.

 

“No, it’s not that,” Jughead grimaced. “She needed a place to stay, I was merely helping.”

 

“Juggie, but that was _our_ sleeping place. Where do we sleep now?” Jellybean asked so innocently, for a moment he thought he was back in childhood. He shrugged.

 

“You take one couch, I’ll take the other?”

 

“You’d be in trouble if you weren’t an adult!”

 

“I know,” he sighed.

 

“Is she naked?”

 

“What? No!”

 

“‘Cause you chickened out?”

 

“NO!”

.

.

 

 

…

 

 

Betty woke up the next morning, bewildered and puzzled. Letting out a low sigh, she sat up, her head mildly pounding as the last night came back to her in flashes.

 

She had apparently messed up within days of moving into the new town. Last night could have had been fun if she hadn’t had an anxiety attack at her cousin, Cheryl’s party.

 

“ _Betty, it’s okay. He’s gone now, you saw him leave.”_

 

“ _B, stop downing that crap. … B? … … Are you even listening to me? … … … Okay, that’s it! You need to leave. NOW.”_

 

And she had, after slamming the glass down. Had it cracked? She hadn’t cared. She had stomped out of there, without saying a word or paying attention to her name being called.

 

She had gotten into the first cab that she’d thought had been about to leave, because she hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone… Oh, God! She hadn’t even asked Jughead if it was a cab. She had simply…OhGod! It wasn’t a cab. Why had she thought it was a cab?

 

“Because you saw someone getting into the driver’s seat, and because you’re an idiot, Betty.” She let out a low groan and buried her head in her hands…

 

“ _Like I want to kiss you right now. … Where do you live?”_

 

Stupid. This was why she shouldn’t have had a drink in first place. She was lucky Jughead wasn’t a creep.

 

Still and all, Betty considered herself a good judge of character and so she had taken the risk she had taken last night—of trusting Jughead.

 

And she had been extra careful, though hadn’t made it obvious but the only reason she had insisted on going to Pop’s, was because she’d wanted their faces to get captured in the CCTV cameras… She had even forced Jughead to share half of her salad, and he had, commenting something about why it wasn’t worth spending a penny on and why burgers weren’t unhealthy. It had been beyond her understanding but the smile on Jughead’s face, had made her forget about the party. To think, Jughead was cute—in a way that wasn’t pretentious.

 

She’d been excited to go to his place. It had felt like a real date, the kind she had never been on… And, and then she had kissed him. How could she have not after everything she’d felt? She had met him on Valentine’s Day, so had decided to take it as a hint too—because she wholeheartedly believed in such stupid delusions.

 

And he had kissed her back!

 

So what if it was a fleeting moment? So what if he had been back to his senses? What if he owned a mountain of self doubts? What if his dad was in jail? (She hoped she’d grasped that information correctly).

 

So what if he was broken? Nothing could change the fact that he had kissed her back, too.

 

Sure, she had met him hours ago, but everything about him intrigued her…

 

Betty could hear some faint laughter from outside the room, and she only heard it distinctly when her thoughts faded away. The voices made her curious and she slowly got down from the bed and tiptoed her way in the direction…

 

The laughter faded as she walked into the little kitchen area as the duo sitting near the small table stood up at once and gaped at her.

 

“Hey,” Jughead said hesitantly. “We’re deciding on the brunch, would you like to join us for the meal?”

 

Betty gave him a polite smile. “I’d love to.”

 

His face gradually relaxed at that, as if he’d originally expected her to say something else. “Uh, this is my sister, Jellybean…” He didn’t need to be nervous, and Betty wondered if it was because of the last night. She waited for him to introduce her to his sister, but that didn’t happen and she felt a little nervous herself.

 

“You must be Betty,” Jellybean chirped and walked over to hug her. Betty watched Jughead cringe and she gave him a reassuring smile. “Do you know you are the reason my brother and I slept on the couches?” Her eyes widened at that. “My brother—”

 

“—Jellybean!” Jughead warned, though it could hardly be described as a warning.

 

Jellybean pulled away from the embrace and glanced between her and Jughead. “What? I was just informing her.”

.

.

 

 

The trailer seemed quiet by the time Betty had freshened up, and she watched as Jughead jumped in his seat when she entered the small kitchen area.

 

“Do I make you nervous?” she asked.

 

“People make me nervous,” he shrugged and pulled out the chair for her, his eyes downcast. She sat down.

 

“Are you really a cab driver?”

 

“No,” he replied curtly.

 

“Just as I thought,” she muttered, and the next few minutes passed in uncomfortable silence. “Where’s your sister?” she asked, conspicuously looking around.

 

“Gone out to get brunch,” he said. “She’s much easier to talk to, I know.”

 

“No,” Betty laughed. “To be honest, she makes me a little nervous.”

 

“Yeah, she does that,” he let out an uneasy chuckle. “But she’s got a big heart.”

 

“I wouldn’t doubt it, she’s _your_ sister,” Betty said softly, and he gaped at her. “And I don’t regret what happened last night.” 

 

“You don’t?”

 

“No. You were wrong,” she shrugged. “Do you? Regret, I mean…”

 

“No…” he sighed and Betty could feel the air shift. “Thanks.”

 

“Just so you know, I don’t kiss random men I meet,” she smirked.

 

“I never assumed the otherwise, ma’am. I know how you were feeling because I…” his voice trailed off as they both heard a knock at the door. “It’s not JB,” he muttered and stood up.

 

“How do you know?”

 

“By the sound of the knock,” he said and simply went to see who it was…

 

“Where is Betty?”

 

Jughead’s eyes widened in fear as a raven-haired woman glowered at him, her jaw tight; her arms crossed. He swallowed. “Here—”

 

“—I knew it,” The woman exclaimed aloud and pushed past him into the trailer, and he turned to follow her. “I’m going to call the Cops! Don’t even think of escaping, you!” Cops? All the color drained from his face.

 

“I didn’t do anything,” he stammered.

 

“Veronica!” Betty exclaimed, and Jughead watched as the two women hugged.

 

“B, are you alright? Did—”

 

“—Tell her I didn’t do anything, ma’am,” Jughead said in a panicky voice. “Please tell her what happened last night.”

 

“She was kidding, Jughead!” Betty let out a laugh, glancing between him and her friend.

 

But Veronica glowered at him, again. “I wasn’t. Don’t think I don’t know you lied to my best friend about being a cab driver! You brought her to your place instead of taking her home and God knows what—”

 

“—Veronica!” Betty gasped in horror. “He did nothing wrong! It’s all _my_ fault! _I,_ straightaway got into his car and asked him to drive! He brought me here only because I didn’t have my key, and I would’ve been sleeping in the hallway if it wasn’t for him!”

 

“What?” Veronica’s eyes went wide.

 

“And my brother doesn’t bring home random women,” Jellybean added, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. “He has never even had a girlfriend in his entire life. He’s anything but a ladies’ man. He—”

 

“—Jellybean!” Jughead gasped, his mouth falling agape.

 

“I was trying to help,” his sister shrugged, before lifting her hand to drop the takeout bag onto the table.

 

“Look, I’m so sorry…” Veronica said, her voice suddenly somber. “It’s just that I've had a long night and I was worried… clearly, I misunderstood you. I'm sorry.”

 

He nodded, “it’s okay.”

 

“Veronica.” She held out her hand, a smile on her face that told him she didn’t dislike him.

 

He shook it, “Jughead.”

 

“Jellybean!” They both looked at the raven-haired girl and Jughead simply nodded.

 

“My little sister.”

.

.

 

…

 

After Betty got dressed in the clothes Veronica had brought for her, Jughead showed the two women to the door. They had refused the brunch and to his own shock, he was a little sad about it. He was sad also because there was a possibility that this might be the only time he was seeing Betty, and the last night could very well be called a dream.

 

While Veronica headed towards her car, Betty stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and turned to him and he gaped at her in surprise.

 

“Would you like to go to Pop’s sometime? I… I heard they serve the best coffee in town.”

 

“Pop’s serve everything the best,” he commented before his eyes widened. With hope. Even if her answer was ‘no,’ he had nothing to lose. He _was_ going to see her again. “Are you… are you asking me out, Ma’am?” He walked over to her as she took a few steps back so they both were standing on the ground.

 

“Yes, one of us has to.” She let out a laugh. “But please, no more ‘ma’am.’ Call me Betty!” 

 

Jughead bet he blushed when he gave her a lopsided grin, “can I give you my number, Betty?” Goddammit, he sounded so awkward.

 

A smile crossed the blonde’s features as she bit her lip and nodded.

 

He was about to head inside the trailer when he bumped into Jellybean and she handed him a pen and the sticky notepad he rarely used. He gave her a look, then turned back to Betty. The blonde giggled, making his heart flutter, and he quickly wrote his number down and handed the sticky note to her.

 

“Thank you,” she nodded. “Also, for taking care of me last night.”

 

“I didn’t do anything. Literally. I just…” He wasn’t sure what to say.

 

“Maybe the next Valentine’s day would turn out to be different for us…” Betty said softly.

 

He bet he blushed, again, and more furiously if possible. “Don’t you think you’re thinking too ahead?”

 

“I always know what I’m talking about,” she smirked.

 

“You don’t even know me. I’m not perfect, Betty.”

 

“Neither am I,” she said with a shrug as she began to walk backwards. “I’ll give you a call, Beanie Boy.” And then she turned and began walking towards the car.

 

“I’m dreaming,” he muttered to himself and felt someone pinch his arm. He didn’t care. He watched as Betty got into the vehicle, and with one last smile they exchanged, the car took off…

 

“Not so bad, huh?” Jellybean stood right beside him.

 

“Nope!” He wrapped an arm around his sister’s shoulders and looked at her. “You’re leaving tonight, right?”

 

Jellybean gave him a sweet smile. “I’m thinking I’ll stay the weekend.”

.

.

 

 

😋

**Author's Note:**

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>  ~~Take Care, all.


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